The Czech was eligible to compete in both the -100kg and +100kg categories at Paris 2024. He won the silver medal at the 2023 World Championships, losing to Arman Adamian in the final. 

But the return to the +100 kg category wasn't a triumph for Krpalek. He reached the semi-finals but lost to Korea's Minjong Kim. He then lost to Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Tamerlan Bashaev (individual neutral) in the bronze medal bout.

Krpalek dreams of meeting French judo legend Teddy Riner in the Olympic final and will do his best to return to top form at Paris 2024.

Abu Dhabi was a success for Korean athlete Minjong Kim. He became world champion for the first time in his career, defeating Georgia's Guram Tushishvili.

2023 world champion Arman Adamian (-100kg) had struggled after winning the world title in Doha. Since then, Adamian has won the Abu Dhabi 2023 Grand Slam, but has failed to finish on the podium at other major tournaments. He almost lost his Olympic place to another individual neutral, Matvey Kanikovskiy. 

Adamian returned to the World Championships with one last hope of an Olympic ticket, and he started with two big wins. However, he was caught on the counter-attack in the 1/8 final against Tajikistan's Dzhakhongir Madzhidov and left the tournament without a medal. Madzhidov went on to lose to Canada's Kyle Reyes, who was competing for an Olympic berth with team-mate Shady Elnahas. 

The two Canadians met in the semi-finals and Elnahas, who was ahead of Reyes in the Olympic rankings, won with Shidos to book his place at the Olympics.

On the other side of the bracket, two-time World bronze medallist Zelym Kotsoiev (Azerbaijan) was in top form. In the semi-final he defeated two-time world champion Jorge Fonseca of Portugal. In the final Kotsoiev scored a waza-ari and the Canadian judoka couldn't respond. Kotsoiev won Azerbaijan's second gold medal of the tournament and lifted his team to fourth place on the medals table.

Japan topped the medals table with three gold medals. On the final day of the tournament, Wakaba Tomita won the gold medal in the women's +78 kg category. She defeated Turkiye's Hilal Ozturk and Kayra Ozdemir in the semi-finals and final respectively. Tomita is a two-time mixed team world champion, but this is her first individual title.

Ozturk took bronze but remains behind Ozdemir in the Olympic rankings. Korea's Hayun Kim won the second bronze, helping her team to third place on the medal table. Georgia finished second with two golds and one silver.

All the medallists of the Day five at the 2024 Judo World Championships

Men’s -100 kg
1. Zelym Kotsoiev (Azerbaijan)
2. Shady Elnahas (Canada)
3. Dota Arai (Japan)
3. Nikoloz Sherazadishvili (Spain)

Men’s +100 kg
1. Minjong Kim (South Korea)
2. Guram Tushishvili (Georgia)
3. Tamerlan Bashaev (Individual Neutral Athlete)
3. Alisher Yusupov (Uzbekistan)

Women’s +78 kg
1. Wakaba Tomita (Japan)
2. Kayra Ozdemir (Turkiye)
3. Hayun Kim (South Korea)
3. Hilal Ozturk (Turkiye)